Gamers get together for this Kamloops convention that includes cosplay competitions, live performances and a vendor market.
Image Credit: FACEBOOK / KamCon
November 18, 2019 - 5:30 PM
Anime, Pokemon, Dungeons and Dragons and more unite to form KamCon 2020.
The event was started by friends Julian Leader and Tyler Carpentier in 2018 and saw roughly 300 guests over two days. Today they’ve announced the dates for their 2020 event, which will expand to three days and run from Oct. 23 to 25. The pair expects to see more than double the number of guests from their inaugural year.
“We’re hoping for 600-plus people. We’re trying to expand and reach up to more areas, like up to Prince George, Salmon Arm, Quesnel, just more from the surrounding areas and trying to draw in more people,” Leader says.
After realizing the shortage of gaming conventions in the Kamloops area, the pair launched KamCon with a focus on Dungeons and Dragons and other tabletop role-playing games.
“We went to a tabletop gaming convention down in Vancouver and we had a lot of fun there,” Leader says. “On the way back we were talking about it, saying how Kamloops doesn’t have this available in the area, and how much fun we had… we just decided to start one, it’s something closer for everyone here and in the Kamloops area.”
The event will now fill up more rooms than before in the Thompson Rivers University Campus Activity Centre, which will offer more vendor opportunities, as well as introducing more gaming competitions, such as Pokemon, Magic the Gathering and Warhammer.
“It’s so encouraging that about half of our vendors from this year have already reserved their spots for 2020, most of those have secured more space for themselves in what’s going to be a much larger marketplace next year,” Carpentier says in a media release.
Leader and Carpentier will announce additional plans for KamCon as the date approaches, but for now, they look forward to including more anime, cosplay, and gaming opportunities during the three-day event. KamCon will kick off with a performance by Barriere band ‘Let’s Go!’ and an all-ages party on Oct. 23.
“Our primary focus for the weekend is to provide a safe space for fans and gamers to gather and celebrate their hobbies together,” Carpentier says in a media release. “The most common feedback we received was that people loved the happy and relaxed atmosphere at this year’s event, that’s something we are working hard to maintain going forward.”
Click here for more information on the events and to buy your tickets.
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